The Superstar Mongoose
by Snoring Dragon Productions
Summary: Sequel to: Mango Anyone? Shahrukh has never gotten along with the other pets in Littlest Pet Shop, but he needs a vacation and is determined to stay at LPS. Can Mango befriend the spoiled star? Or will it end up costing her one of her closest friends instead? (rated T as usual for emotional love) *1,000 views picture on Deviant Art*
1. Chapter 1: Card Trick

Chapter 1 : Card Trick

All of the pets were surrounding the giant TV in the day camp area. They were scrunched together and staring at the TV with eyes as wide as they could possibly get. But how else could they act? _He_ was on TV.

Heroic music played and the star of the show appeared. Shahrukh the famous mongoose actor! He looked like Sunil, in Blythe's opinion, but had green eyes and white stripes on his ears and his back. Everyone loved Shahrukh. He was a talented actor, played in great movies, and in some of their opinions… was not that bad to look at. It seemed that every pet had unanimously chosen Shahrukh as their favorite animal actor. It _seemed_ that way.

Far off in a corner Sunil waited for just the right moment to make his appearance. He had timed it so that once the heroic music began to play he would jump right in front of the TV. Then he would stand with his hands on his hips while staring slightly into the sky, magicians hat on and cape flowing. That was sure to make all the pets interested in his next trick. Sunil rubbed his paws together with anticipation. It was almost time.

All the pets clapped and cheered for their hero Shahrukh. Suddenly a mongoose jumped in front of the screen. It was _not_ Shahrukh. They all sighed with relief on the inside. Even though Shahrukh was a great actor he was not the best pet. Constantly ordering them around and treating everyone like they were his servants caused him to get on the pets bad side. But they _were_ annoyed that they were being interrupted while watching their favorite movie. Shahrukh may have been an enormous jerk, but he had some amazing talent.

"Sunil, what is it now?" Russell said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Yes, you are interrupting our movie." Zoe chimed in while fluffing her ears and looking at herself in the mirror.

"I have a magic trick that is sure to blow everyone's minds sky high, but I will need a volunteer." Sunil said with a flourish and struck his pose.

There was an awkward silence for a couple minutes before two very enthusiastic "ME! ME! ME!" were shouted out from the crowd. Vinnie and Mango were jumping up and down next to each other. Both of them wanted to help their buddy out with the trick. Vinnie raised his hand as high as it would go, while Mango continued to bounce upside down.

"Sorry Mango, but it is Vinnie's turn to assist me." Sunil said apologetically.

"Fine, good luck Vinnie. Blow them out of the water Sunil." Mango shouted out words of encouragement to the two performing the trick.

Vinnie stepped next to Sunil. He felt confident after Mango had wished him luck. In fact, he was much more confident than he would have been if any of the others had done the same thing. He giggled slightly. She did have that affect on him. If she only knew. Coming closer to Sunil, Vinnie saw that in his paw he held a stack of cards. It was unlike Sunil to call only one pet up for a card trick, usually those involved all the pets. Vinnie looked at Sunil questioningly but Sunil only shook his head slightly and mouthed the word 'wait'.

"Ladies and gentle pets, I Sunil the Great, will perform a never before seen trick. With this small deck of cards I will guess what my friend Vinnie here is thinking of. I will use my magical abilities and my physic powers for this trick." Sunil said with great confidence, giving a flourish with his cape as well.

Vinnie on the other hand, lost all of his confidence in that one moment. Sunil was going to show what he was thinking and he was thinking about a certain pet in the room. Quickly he picked something to fill his mind, anything at all to fill his mind. _Come on Vinnie._ He thought, beginning to panic. He saw Sunil shuffle his deck of cars while muttering some magic words.

Sunil shuffled the cards while muttering his magic words. He was feeling great. This trick was going to go perfectly. Once he finished he would throw his smoke powder and the card would appear with a picture of whatever Vinnie was thinking of. Sunil wondered to himself what the card might show. Knowing his pal Vinnie it probably showed some kind of food, or maybe a new dance step. Sunil shrugged and continued to shuffle. It didn't matter, he knew that this trick was going to be perfect.

Vinnie looked as Sunil stopped shuffling and turned to him. He was holding a card that read the three of hearts. Vinnie groaned on the inside. The trick was about to happen. Smoke suddenly filled where they were standing. Vinnie couldn't see anything. He closed his eyes shut and quickly thought of something, anything other than Mango. Once he opened his eyes he saw something that shocked him. Sunil was holding up the card, but the back was facing the crowd. Sunil's eyes were sparkling with excitement. The trick had worked, now he just had to show what Vinnie had thought of. But as he glanced at the card his grin faded and was replaced by a mixture of hurt and confusion.

 _Oh man._ Vinnie thought.

"What does it show Sunil?" Penny Ling asked with a worried face.

Sighing, Sunil turned the card around. On it was a picture of Shahrukh. The mongoose actor was smiling a smug smile and wearing the outfit he had on during the movie. Sunil tried to keep the hurt out of his voice, after all the trick had to go on. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Presto! Vinnie had been thinking of… Shahrukh." Sunil said with a half hearted flourish.

"Did someone say my name?"


	2. Chapter 2 : Not That Bad

Chapter 2 : Not That Bad

The pets gasped and turned toward the pet that had spoken. He was standing in the doorway. He was a light blue mongoose with white stripes on his back and tail. His green eyes sparkled with self confidence. The mongoose shot the pets a winning grin and then said with a pose, "Did you miss me?"

"NO!" Everyone yelled out unanimously. Everyone but Mango. She just looked at him, her eyes sparkling with interest.

She had not been there when Shahrukh had last visited the Pet Shop. But she _had_ heard lots and lots of stories about the visit. Pepper had told about how Shahrukh had spit in her face when she had brought him some water. Russell and Penny Ling had fanned him almost the entire time he was there, while Vinnie flipped the TV channels for him. Honestly, Mango did not see their problem. She believed that they just didn't handle Shahrukh the right way. Doing every command he said and giving him whatever he wanted was a horrible way to treat him. Of course he acted spoiled and self righteous.

Mango chuckled softly. _If they didn't want Shahrukh to boss them around, maybe they shouldn't have listened to him._

"Well, that was very rude. Not at all how I expect my servants to behave." The movie star mongoose said with a small pout.

"We are _not_ your servants! Why are you here anyway?" Russell demanded.

"The acting life is hard and I have decided to take a vacation for a couple of days. I have decided to stay here." Shahrukh said while waving his hands and using facial expressions to help his explanation.

Mango had to admit it, he really was a great actor. No one seemed to be about to welcome him so Mango stepped forward. She didn't like how rude everyone else was being. Surely he was not that bad. "Well, welcome to Littlest Pet Shop. I bet you are going to have a great time Shahrukh." Mango flashed him one of her winning smiles.

"Who is this?" Shahrukh said while looking at the other pets.

"That is Mango. She's new here. She was trying to be friendly to you, not that you deserve it." Vinnie stepped in front of Mango, as if he was shielding her from Shahrukh.

"Thanks Vinnie but I'm fine. Shahrukh, if you want I can show you around the Pet Shop. You know, because you didn't really have a tour the first time you were here." Mango walked around Vinnie, who had his mouth hanging open in surprise, and sat down in front of Shahrukh.

"Fine, show me around." Shahrukh said while walking away from Mango.

"Great." Mango had a good feeling about this.


	3. Chapter 3 : Tour Guide Mango

Chapter 3 : Tour Guide Mango

Mango decided it would be best to show Shahrukh the food first in case he was hungry from his trip. She walked over to the food dish and waited for Shahrukh to catch up. He walked rather slowly, which was surprising considering all the screaming fans he outran. Mango decided to just let him look around on his way to her. Finally, he arrived and glanced at the food pellets. A look of disgust formed on his face. He stuck out his tongue and turned his back on the food. Mango was not upset by this at all and just giggled softly.

"I am tour guide Mango, here to show you all around Littlest Pet Shop. Here we have the feeding station. I'll admit that to a big star like you, this isn't what you normally eat. But if you try it you'll find that it is really good." Mango took a huge bite to prove her words.

"I'll pass. Show me something else." Shahrukh said with his back still turned.

Mango shrugged. "You gotta eat sometime." Then she began to walk toward the pet beds. "These are where we take out naps or just rest. Try one out, its very comfortable."

"What no feather bed? No stack of one hundred thousand thread count blankets?" Shahrukh cried in outrage.

"People actually count all those threads? A blanket is just a blanket. I don't care if it has one thousand and _one_ threads." Mango said with a look of complete exasperation.

"Well, _I_ do. Continue with the tour." Shahrukh said sternly.

"Fine. Over here we have the play area where we play together all the time. Next to it is our exercise facility. That seems to be everything. We also get served snack a little later in the day. Questions?" Mango faced the super star with a grin.

"Yes, how am I supposed to take a vacation in this dump?" Shahrukh said while scowling.

Mango sighed inwardly. She was not sure why she was trying to become this rude, spoiled, disgrace of a mongoose's friend. Something inside her told her to go on. She couldn't explain why. Mango just knew that somehow she was going to get him to trust her. Everyone needed someone, and she had the suspicion that this pet had no one. She quickly placed a smile on her face and answered his question.

"You have to."

There, that was all she could say. He could complain as much as a lion with a toothache but unless he wanted to go back he would have to try to enjoy himself.

Shahrukh huffed and turned around. Stamping his feet with every step. He had never been so insulted. He waited for the sound of paw steps running toward him. She would whine and cry, beginning his forgiveness. He would give it to her, after all she was the only one who seemed willing to be his servant. But first he would make her work, and work hard. He would be as demanding as he could, he would… his train of thought broke as he looked back. Mango was not coming toward him. She was sitting down by the feeding station getting some kibble.

 _What is this? How dare she ignore the fact that I am ignoring her! Who does she think she is?_ Shahrukh marched back to Mango, intent on telling her off right there.

Mango lifted her head and turned to see an angry Shahrukh coming right for her. She smiled slyly. She knew he wouldn't be able to stand someone ignoring him. Once he reached her she would try to patch things up and continue to spend the day with him. Slowly she began to eat again. If there was one thing she knew, it was to always let the other person think it was their idea. So that was exactly what she was going to do.

"How dare you ignore me! I am the great Shahrukh!" Shahrukh yelled while pointing at himself.

"I thought you wanted me to leave." Mango said without glancing up from the food. She feared that if she looked up he would see the twinkle in her eye.

"Why would you think that, servant?" Shahrukh asked loudly.

"I heard that super stars don't like the help hanging around. So I left." Mango shrugged.

"Well, that is wrong! You _will_ be by my side the _entire_ day, because I said so!" Shahrukh yelled out.

Mango bounced up and grinned. "Ok, Shahrukh, if that if what _you_ want."

"It is." He said as he folded his arms.

Mango fought the urge to laugh. "So, what do you want to do?"

Shahrukh looked at Mango with half closed lids. He was already getting bored of her. Then he realized something. He was going to have to spend the entire day with her. To do otherwise would be to go back on his own command and make himself look like a fool. He looked at her with eyes narrowed, wondering if she had planned this herself. Exactly how smart was she? He was surprised to find out that he did not know.


	4. Chapter 4 : Hanging Out

Chapter 4 : Hanging Out

Mango and Shahrukh were lying down on the pet beds relaxing. Shahrukh had said that he was tired from his trip to the Pet Shop and needed a rest. Mango had found him the perfect spot. It was cool and comfortable, with a great view of the Pet Shop. They could see everyone from their little relaxing spot. Mango looked around and noticed that every pet seemed to be doing what they loved best. Squinting she looked for one pet in particular. Then her face lit up when she found him.

Shahrukh turned to look at what Mango was doing. She had been really quiet, respecting his order that they do not talk. He felt slightly impressed with himself. He hadn't expected her to give in that easy. _She must be a weak willed push over._ He thought with disgust. Even though he liked his servant to obey him without question, that did not mean that he admired that in any pet.

He glanced at her again, this time he noticed a tad more joy on her face. Curious, he looked in the direction she was, trying to see what she saw. He rolled his eyes in disgust. It was the nerdy magician. The one who always had his hat blow up in his face. Grinning, he decided to have some fun.

"Look at that poor excuse of a magician."

Mango turned her head at the sound of Shahrukh sneering voice. She did not like where this was going. Her fur puffed up slightly as she turned to her mongoose companion. She had to fight the urge to snarl. She did not like where this was going at all.

Shahrukh could tell he was getting to her. But she was to weak to do anything about it. So he continued his taunting. "He could never be a real magician."

"He _is_ a real magician. A _great_ magician." Mango said boldly.

Shahrukh raised his eyebrows in surprise. So she could talk back, but not by much.

"If he is so great, why do his tricks never work? He is nothing but a weak-"

Mango's fur puffed up more.

"Simple-"

Her eyes got smaller.

"Sorry excuse for a pet."

She couldn't take it anymore! No one made fun of her friends, especially _that_ friend.

"That's it! Listen you sorry, prima donna pet! Sunil is one of the greatest pets you will ever meet. He is a wonderful magician. He could do way more than _you_. Who are you to judge him? Just because you think you are better than everyone else, well you're NOT! You could only hope to be half as great or magical or funny or kind or considerate or cute or-" Mango stopped in mid sentence once she realized what she had just said.

Shahrukh was surprised. He was surprised that she had told him off so quickly and that she had dared to raise her voice at him. _She is strong._ He thought to himself. But he was even more surprised to hear how she had described the pet she was defending. He wondered to himself the relationship that she and mongoose were actually in. He chuckled to himself. This was going to be interesting.

"What was that last part?" Shahrukh asked smugly.

"Nothing, it was none of your business. To be honest, I don't even know." That was the truth. Mango wasn't sure where that word had come from. She hadn't even planned on saying it. It had spilled out the moment she began talking about Sunil. Once she had started she couldn't stop.

"Sounds like you care about him. Hmmmm?" Shahrukh raised an eye brow.

"What's it to you?" Mango said narrowing her eyes. She didn't trust this pet.

"You will be my servant and do all of my bidding during my vacation. Or I will tell the magician what you said." There, that would cause her to follow his orders. She would never dare talk back with that hanging over her head.

Mango wrestled with herself. She didn't know what to do. It would be horrible if Sunil found out what she had said. It could destroy their friendship. She couldn't imagine going to the Pet Shop and not hanging out with Sunil. He would be cold toward her, he would ignore her, he would _hate_ her. Mango blinked away the tears. Then she realized something. Warm, caring Sunil could never be cold. He was incapable of doing anything mean or hating anyone. Sure he might complain, but in the end he always came through. Just like he would for her if he was told of what she had said. Mango steeled herself. She hoped she was right. Then she gave Shahrukh a defiant look and shook her head no.

Shahrukh tried to hide his surprise, because of all his acting experience he was quite good at it. But he could not stop the small glimmer of shock that flashed in his eyes. He couldn't tell what she was doing. He had threatened to ruin everything if she did not be his servant and she still refused.

 _Maybe she does not really care about the mongoose? Or maybe she feels their bond is strong enough to overcome this too? I don't know. No one could have that much faith in someone. No one._ Shahrukh stared at Mango quizzically as she stared Shahrukh down. Then she began to walk away toward the others.

"Stop!" Shahrukh yelled out toward her.

Mango turned and stared at him with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. Shahrukh had to admit, with that look on her face she seemed like a bright one. He tried to hide the fact that he had surprised himself as well with the amount of force he used when yelling. She wasn't going to leave just yet. Not until he found out what had made her say no.

"I did not order you to leave." Shahrukh said with a frown. He crossed his arms and pouted.

"That's funny, because I _did_ say that you couldn't order me around." Mango said with a look of exasperation.

"Stay here…with me." He tried to again to make her stay.

Mango was pleasantly surprised. She had the sneaking suspicion that Shahrukh just didn't want to be alone. She thought for a moment. Should she stay after he had threatened to publicly humiliate her? Mango glanced at him. Then fought the urge to giggle at the self righteous look on his face. The pets hadn't been able to help him because they hadn't even _tried_. Well, she could and would make Shahrukh better. Or even just a little less controlling.

"Well, if you insist." Mango plopped down on a pillow. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I do not play." Shahrukh said with a frown.

"Ok, how about you tell me what it is like to be famous?" Mango knew that if she was going to get him to start talking it better be _about_ him.

"That I can do." He said proudly.


	5. Chapter 5 : The Other Side

Chapter 5 : The Other Side

Mango was listening intently. Shahrukh was about to describe to her what it was like to be a famous pet super star. She wasn't sure what to expect. Sure, they had the money and the fame and the fans. That was a no brainer, what she wanted to know was what everyday life was like for Shahrukh. What did he eat? Did he ever have parties? Did he ever have fun? The most important one was, what did he do in his free time?

"Well, I have over a dozen servants to hold all my wonderful and very expensive stuff. Of course I never walk anywhere, I usually take my jet to go places. Even if it is just down the street. Also, I only drink water with bubbles. So you might want to fix the water here. I never open doors myself. That is a job for a butler. My bank account is in Germany, but it is a Swiss bank account. When I eat I take three hours or even more, sometimes the steak is too thick and that is horrible. So someone else will have to chew it, because I certainly can't. Every single Major University has given me an honorary degree. I enjoy comedies, mostly when I am in them, but I pay other people to laugh for me. People always stare at me, I suppose it is because of all my jewelry. I am usually head to toe in it. It is not easy being a super star." Shahrukh finished his tale and looked at Mango to see her reaction.

Mango had a thoughtful look on her face. She had been right about the glitz and the glamour to be found on the other side. But now she wanted the details. She wanted to know what components made up this mongoose's every day. She arranged a list of questions in her mind and prepared to ask them.

"So, what do you normally do in a day?" Mango asked.

"What do you mean?" Shahrukh asked in confusion.

"I mean, what is your normal day like? For me I get up at seven, eat breakfast, usually kibble. Then we come over to Littlest Pet Shop around nine, I play around, take a nap around noon. Eat snack, play some more, then I go home around five. Eat dinner, play at the house and sleep at eleven. What do you do?" Mango explained.

"Well, I get up around ten, eat a gourmet breakfast and then I go to whichever set I need to be on. Depending on the movie I meet the director and he shows me which scene to do. I act for a few hours then have a three course lunch. It usually takes an hour or two to eat my lunch. Of course, then it is back to the set to do some more scenes. Once I am finished I go home to eat my dinner. Then I never have to set foot on the movie set again!" Shahrukh began.

"Because then you get the rest of the day off?" Mango guessed.

"No, because then I step both feet onto _other_ sets. I have interviews, commercials, special guest showings, and countless other appointments. I do all of them, have some dessert on the way back, then I go to bed to rest for the next day. Rinse, wash, and repeat. To put it in simpler terms." Shahrukh said with half closed eyes.

Mango had a hint of annoyance on her face but she wiped it off quickly. Shahrukh was trying to be nice by putting his explanation in words she could understand. Unfortunately Shahrukh trying to be nice was not much different from the normal, rude, conceited Shahrukh. While Shahrukh was talking about the perks of being a star Mango noticed that his face had lit up like a Christmas tree. But once she had asked about what actually happened during a normal day his face had adopted a look of boredom and indifference. Mango guessed that his life was not as great as he thought it was, or wanted it to be. She was going to do something about that. She just needed to think.

"It sounds to me like you don't really get much time to do what you want to do." Mango suggested.

"That is ridiculous. My life is glamorous, expensive, fabulous!" Shahrukh exclaimed.

"It also sounds repetitive, exhausting, trapping." Mango listed some choice words for Shahrukh to think about. As spoiled as he was he seemed smart and she knew he would get the pattern.

"That is ridiculous! I am tired and I'm going to take a nap. Begone!" Shahrukh plopped down onto a pillow and began to sleep.

Mango shrugged and walked away. Shahrukh had to get up sometime and when he did she would get some more details on his life. Until then, she had heard that Sunil was working on a new magic trick. Mango had completely pushed the whole 'cute' incident out of her mind and was walking with high spirits and a wagging tail. Shahrukh however had a mind full of questions, and answers did not seem to be coming. No matter how much he ordered them to.


	6. Chapter 6 : A Superstar

Chapter 6 : A Superstar

Shahrukh tossed and turned on his pillow. He was shaking, twitching, and shifting positions while trying to sleep. Sleep did not seem to be coming anytime soon. Shahrukh groaned and opened his eyes. He was exhausted. Rubbing his red eyes he thought about what to do. If he stayed awake that orange pet Mango would definitely come back over and he would be forced to spend more time with her. That troubled him. Whenever she was around she always, somehow, found a way to make him think. When she was near he doubted. He doubted his fabulous life, the way he treated everyone around him, and especially the way he saw her. She was no dumb servant and she knew it.

 _If she can just decide not to follow my orders, then everyone else can. So, how special am I really? Am I special because of what I do? If I stopped, how special would I be? I_ wouldn't _be._ Shahrukh's ears drooped. He plopped down on the pillow. He was going to take a nap. This time he would not fail! He forced his eyes shut and tried again.

Shahrukh opened his eyes. He was on his pillow inside the Pet Shop. Groaning, he stretched and rubbed his eyes some more. He felt like he had slept on a bed of rocks. Cracking his back, he realized that he was stiff and got up and walked over to the feeding station. He swore he had saw a water station there when the infuriating pet Mango had given him the tour. Finally Shahrukh saw it. As he got closer he saw that the skunk was already drinking from it. He sniffed, that was going to change soon.

Strutting toward her Shahrukh cleared his throat and barked out his orders. "Out of the way servant. I need a drink!"

The skunk just stared at him with a look of annoyance.

"Out of the way Patty!" He said louder.

"The name is PEPPER!" The skunk yelled back with a fierce glare.

Shahrukh was taken aback. The last time he visited the Pet Shop Pepper had brought him water herself. She had not even done anything when he spit the foul liquid back into her face. Now she was raising her voice to him and making him get the drink himself. What had changed her mind?

"I don't need to listen to you. Who do you think you are, a famous superstar?" Pepper turned and continued to drink.

Shahrukh slowly backed away. He was extremely confused. _What does she mean? I_ am _a famous superstar!_

He turned and looked around the Pet Shop, everything seemed normal. He ran over to the hedgehog. The hedgehog turned to him with a smile as if waiting for a question. Shahrukh put on his best 'I am better than you' face and stretched out his paw.

"I need a drink of water. Do not forget the bubbles!" Shahrukh held his breath as he waited for the hedgehog's reply.

"Of course, the water station is over there. You can go once Pepper is done." Shahrukh gasped as the hedgehog rolled away toward some other pets.

"Wait my turn?" In desperation he ran toward his biggest fan out of the day campers. He finally found the green gecko dancing near the pet toys. He knew all he needed to do was stand next to him and the gecko would faint. Shahrukh stood and waited for the gecko's reaction. But he just continued to dance. Shahrukh watched him dance, and dance, and dance. Finally he raised his hands up in desperation! He could think of nothing else to do.

Shahrukh stomped his foot on the ground then lifted it up once he felt something stick to it. It was a piece of paper, probably ripped from a newspaper. Reaching down, Shahrukh peeled it off his foot and began to read it. It _was_ a piece of ripped newspaper. The headline read **Superstar Shahrukh Fired!** Shahrukh clutched his furry little chest. He couldn't believe what he was reading. How could this happen? He was the biggest pet superstar around! He continued to read quickly, his disbelief growing with every word he saw.

Superstar Shahrukh was fired today after he had a dispute with his agents. All contracts with the talented mongoose star were cancelled immediately. Fans around the world scream and ask, why? Based on what was said by Shahrukh's lawyers, reporters believe that the mongoose asked for more free time and to be in charge of his own schedule. Outraged by this ridiculous request all agents terminated their contracts with the mongoose. All the newspaper reports come to the same grim conclusion, the mongoose superstar brought this to himself.

Shahrukh dropped the newspaper. This was not happening. It could not happen. Screaming, he ran out of the Pet Shop, then he skidded to a stop. He saw an enormous crowd of people. His eyes widened. He knew what was about to happen. The crowd would advance upon him, stealing his fur, clothes, drowning him with requests for autographs and pictures. He shut his eyes, waiting for the sea of people to cover him. But nothing happened. He peeked and saw them going along with their business, completely oblivious to the fact that Shahrukh was near. That horrified him most of all. He was nobody.

Shahrukh bolted upright, sweating and shaking. He fell backwards onto the pillow. Breathing heavily, he just stared at the ceiling.

 _I am a superstar. A superstar…_


	7. Chapter 7 : A God

Chapter 7 : A God

Sunil waved his magic wand dramatically. He snatched a glance of the crowd before him. As usual it was Vinnie and Mango. They were both staring at him with complete adoration, eyes wide and leaning forward with anticipation. He loved that about them. No matter what he did they always gave him their full attention. He fanned out a stack of cards and shuffled them. This was another card trick. Mango seemed fond of those. It almost made Sunil giggle, the fact that card tricks were the hardest for him to master. Yet he continued to make more and more of them, just because Mango liked them.

Sunil took a deep breath and prepared to perform the trick. He had a separate trick for each of them. He decided to start with Mango because Vinnie had been his assistant earlier. He was no longer hurt by what Vinnie had thought about. Sunil decided that if he would have chosen any of his other friends they probably would have been thinking about the same thing.

 _Of course Vinnie thought of Shahrukh. They were watching a Shahrukh movie._ Sunil thought as he walked toward Mango.

Right when he got to Mango his spirits rose. It was time for the special trick he had been working on for weeks. He wiggled his fingers and prepared to take out a card. But once he touched the card he heard a voice. It sounded like it was coming from behind him.

"Mango, I am awake!"

"Shahrukh." Sunil groaned.

Mango seemed to wilt a little. She had really been looking forward to the trick. She looked up at Sunil, then gave him an apologetic look. Once she did Sunil knew what she was going to do. He sighed and nodded slightly. Mango smiled and got up, trotting over to Shahrukh. She had been worried that Sunil would take it the wrong way. But he understood. She _needed_ to go over to Shahrukh. She could see his trick once Shahrukh was gone. Everything was going to be just fine. Of course Mango was still upset that she had to leave, but she was happy that Shahrukh had actually asked for her instead of just going through the day alone. She guessed that what she had said earlier had gotten him thinking. But about what, she was not sure.

Sunil sighed and looked at the ground. He had been so close to showing her his special trick and then she left to go and spend time with _Shahrukh_. Sunil growled, his back fur standing up. He rarely got this angry. It surprised him, how quickly his sadness had turned to anger. It also frightened him slightly. He was not a violent pet and did not want to become one. The anger was replaced by fear for a split second then went back to a deep sadness. Tears formed in his eyes. He was careful not to let any fall. Shutting his eyes, he tried to compose himself. His ears twitched when he heard a noise behind him. Turning, he saw Vinnie standing behind him.

Sunil sniffed and wiped his eyes. He was not embarrassed about crying in front of Vinnie. They never hid their feelings from each other, but that did not mean that he wanted to start blubbering like a baby in front of him. What would Vinnie think if he made a huge deal about Mango leaving when Vinnie was still there? He cleared his throat.

"So, ready for the magic trick buddy?" Sunil said with a fake smile.

"Don't worry about it dude. She'll be back. She just needs to go with Shahrukh because uh…" Vinnie felt like banging his head on a table. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"Because he is a mongoose superstar with money, fame, and looks like Brahman." Sunil said bitterly.

Vinnie just stared at him with a look of confusion. He scratched his head as he tried to figure out what Sunil had just said. "Bra-who?"

"A god." Sunil said bluntly.

"Oh. Uh… how about that magic trick?"

Once the trick was over Sunil left to get something to eat, leaving Vinnie standing there all alone. Vinnie was worried about multiple things. He was worried about Sunil, Mango, and most of all why Sunil was so upset with Mango. Vinnie didn't like seeing his best buddy so down in the dumps. Of course Vinnie didn't like seeing Mango spend time with Shahrukh either. Who knew how bad he was treating her. Vinnie felt a burst of protectiveness toward Mango. His anger was rising as he thought of all the things Shahrukh must be saying to her. He wanted to walk right over there and WHAM!

 _Nobody hurts Mango, not while I'm here._ Vinnie had embraced the fact that he loved her. It had taken him a little while to realize it, but once he did he knew there was no denying it. He admired everything about her. She was talented, smart, caring, she had a disposition as sweet as honey or as bitter as vinegar. He loved that. A huge smile spread across his face.

But that lead to him thinking about the third thing worrying him. Vinnie had never seen Sunil so upset before. Every time Sunil had a problem he usually was very calm about it. Unless he was scared. Normally he reacted with sadness and Vinnie had to bring him back up. He never reacted with such anger. In order to get Sunil angry something must have really been bothering him. Vinnie sighed. He was worried that Mango was the one bothering him.

Sunil spent a lot of time with Mango. That didn't surprise Vinnie. They were great friends. He was the first one to comfort her when she came and they had been close ever since. They laughed and played together, shared all their secrets, and supported the other when they cried. But Vinnie suspected that there was something more. Sunil did his best when Mango was watching him, practicing every trick for days until it was perfect. Vinnie also noticed that Sunil was doing more card tricks lately. Mango mentioned once that she really liked them and since then he had been coming out with one new trick after another. He was happiest when she was there. His face lighting up and his eyes shining. Once she left he acted as if his magic wand had been broken. Vinnie had even heard him mention once how pretty Mango looked in a certain light and how her howl was as soft sounding as her fur. At the time Vinnie had thought that Sunil was just talking in that special way he does. Describing the friend his is talking about with flattering words. Just as how he calls Vinnie his 'green, scaly friend'. But now he was not so sure.

Vinnie sighed. Sunil had some strong feelings for Mango. The poor pet just didn't know it yet. If he did he would have told his best friend, but right now he was in the dark. Vinnie began practicing his latest dance steps. Eventually Sunil would realize what he was feeling, and when that happened Vinnie wasn't sure what he was going to do.


	8. Chapter 8 : Entertain Me

Chapter 8 : Entertain Me

Mango reached a foot tapping Shahrukh. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was awake after his two hour nap and now she had to find away to entertain him. The only problem was that she was not sure what he would like to do. He didn't really reveal much about himself except for the fact that he didn't really get to decide what he did in his free time. She shrugged and decided to wing it. After all, if he got bored she was sure he would tell her.

"So, Shahrukh, what do you want to do?" Mango asked.

"I am getting bored, entertain me." The mongoose said with a scowl.

"Kind of where I was going with my question, but ok." Mango muttered. Then she began to talk louder. "So I guess I'll just think about what to do, since no one around here seems to have any ideas." Mango hinted at Shahrukh being less than helpful.

Shahrukh, not getting the hint, just sat down and stared at Mango. Waiting to be entertained. Mango sighed and searched her mind for something to do to entertain him. Then she had a great idea. She would tell Shahrukh a story. He was an actor so she figured he must appreciate a good story. Everyone did, stories took you places you could not go. Helped you sort throughout problems you couldn't sort through alone. Maybe even opened up your eyes to a few truths. Mango nodded her head. She prepared to tell a story.

"In a far off land there was a mongoose. He was the jewel of his kingdom. He had money and riches and fame, and everybody thought he was something special." Mango began.

Shahrukh paid little attention to the story. It sounded like his life so far and he knew how great his life was. Still, he had nothing better to do and decided to stay where he was and at least _act_ like he was interested. He was doing it because he didn't want to move, _not_ to make Mango happy.

"He performed for them on a great stage every day, receiving gifts and luxury. But once the curtains closed he was dragged off to other smaller stages, doing the same thing over and over again. At the end of every day he slept in his giant bed, awaiting the morning when it would all begin again." Mango continued. "He never gave this any thought until one day. He was walking to the next stage when he saw a Mango tree. He was hungry and wanted a fruit badly. He stomped his foot and demanded that the Mangos fall. But they would not obey. He yelled and bragged and pouted, but no fruit would fall."

Shahrukh leaned forward slightly. He was surprised that the superstar mongoose could not get a simple Mango. He had assumed that he could get anything he wanted, but a simple _tree_ was defying him. Shahrukh fought the urge to huff. If the Mangos would not fall the mongoose should just deal with it and go get some other fruit. That tree was not going to bend just because he ordered it too. He wasn't _that_ special.

Mango saw Shahrukh lean forward. She grinned and continued the story. "The mongoose did not know what to do. The Mangos would not listen. Frustrated, he walked away into a village instead of the stage. The village was named Littlest Peasant Sanctuary. He saw all the small houses and shuddered. The place was cramped, dirty, and full of peasants. The mongoose stopped when he saw some children running by. The children stopped in between two buildings. One was a bakery and the other was a toy store. He watched as some went to the bakery, and others went into the toy store. He then saw a pet with chickens in a cage walk by. The pet went into a feeding place and the chickens had to follow. The Mongoose laughed. He was glad he was not those chickens. Forced to go where someone else told him to."

Shahrukh wanted to laugh too. The mongoose was not a simple chicken. He was a great superstar and he controlled his life. No one could tell such a famous pet what to do. Shahrukh was about to get up, it seemed as if the story was over, but he froze as soon as Mango began to speak again.

"But then, the mongoose was picked up and carried away by his agents. The pets dragged the mongoose onto his luxurious wagon and drove back to the stage he was supposed to be at. When he left the mongoose glanced back at the small village. He saw the children going everywhere and the chickens still in the cage. He thought about his life. Then he remembered the Mango tree. The Mango tree who refused to follow his orders just because he thought he was special. He realized that he was not special because he was a _superstar_ , he was special because he _chose to be_. He could decide for himself and control his own life. Just then a Mango fell into the wagon. The mongoose looked up and saw the branches of the Mango tree above him. Then he jumped out of the wagon."

Shahrukh was intrigued. He wondered what the mongoose would do next. Was he going back to the small village? He had to make a choice, fame or freedom. Shahrukh thought hard about which one he would choose if he was the mongoose in the story.

Mango was almost done with the story. She hoped Shahrukh would like the ending. "The agents asked the mongoose what he was doing. The mongoose told them all he had learned and told them that he wanted more time to choose what he was going to do. He was done being pulled around from stage to stage. _He_ would decide when and where to go. The agents were shocked, but there was nothing they could do. _He_ was the one in charge. The mongoose just hadn't realized it until then. From that day on the mongoose's life was better than ever. He performed on the stages he wanted too and made sure he had enough free time to himself. His favorite pastimes were sitting down under the Mango tree that had shown him that _what_ he was did not make him special, and going down to the village that had shown him that he had the right to choose. The End."

Mango stopped her story and looked to see what Shahrukh had thought. She was pleased to see that he was actually paying attention, and smiling. Her heart felt near to bursting. He had listened to the story and he had liked the ending. Him liking the ending had meant at lot to her. It meant that he agreed with the mongoose's decision. She hoped that it also meant he would have made that decision himself. Mango's tail wagged hard as she waited for Shahrukh to say something.

Shahrukh was amazed. He had not expected the mongoose to get to have both fame and freedom. It made him happier than a story should. He did not know why he had felt so connected with the story. The mongoose becoming happy had meant a lot to him. He raised his paws and began to clap them. He clapped slowly at first, then he clapped faster, and faster, and even faster. He had never clapped so hard! Not even when watching one of his own movies. When he finished he looked at Mango and said. "I suppose that will do."

But he said it with a smile.


	9. Chapter 9 : Seeing What I'm Seeing

Chapter 9 : Seeing What I'm Seeing

Russell walked around the Littlest Pet Shop. He glanced up from his little clipboard to take a look around. Everything seemed normal. He noticed that no one seemed upset. He figured that must mean that Mango was actually keeping Shahrukh under control. He shook his head sadly.

 _I sure hope he is not giving her too hard a time._ Russell thought as he placed a check on his checklist. Then he looked up and saw Mango next to Shahrukh over in a corner… and Shahrukh was smiling. Russell's jaw dropped. He didn't know Shahrukh could even _do_ that.

They were sitting on some pillows. Mango seemed very happy. Shahrukh did too! They began to talk some more. Shahrukh did most of the talking, but not a bit of it seemed to be commanding or conceited. Mango actually seemed to want to hear what Shahrukh was saying.

 _Is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?_ Russell thought amazed.

Penny Ling sat by the feeding station. She was nibbling on a piece of bamboo. Taking a huge bite, she looked around at her friends. She saw Russell staring at something. She turned her head in the direction he was looking. Then she dropped her bamboo. Mango and Shahrukh were talking. Shahrukh got up and began acting for Mango. He pretended to be walking and then…WHAM…right into the floor. He then got up and brushed himself off. Penny Ling looked at Mango. She was laughing and her eyes lit up as she watched Shahrukh act.

 _Is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?_ Penny Ling thought happily.

Minka was splatting green paint onto a canvas. She turned to get a bucket of blue paint, then stopped. She had seen something amazingly amazing. Shahrukh was acting for Mango, and Mango was happy. Minka never thought that Shahrukh could make someone smile like that. She had assumed that he could only be extremely annoying. Excited, she decided to do a little backflip. Once she finished she looked over at them again. Mango was now standing and copying Shahrukh's movements. It seemed like Shahrukh was giving her acting lessons. Minka felt like doing another backflip.

 _Is anyone seeing what I'm seeing?_ Minka thought excitedly.

Pepper was sorting through her props. She was organizing them very carefully. They were going to be arranged from funniest to least funny. It was pretty hard though because all her props were _hilarious_. She shook her head and moved the clown nose one space up. But then the mustache had to be moved down and she couldn't move the _mustache_ down. Mustaches were funny. Giggling, Pepper put the mustache on her face. Then she turned to grab her unicycle and stopped. What she saw surprised her so much that she fell down and landed on her whoopee cushion. Pepper didn't even giggle. She was watching Shahrukh and Mango hanging out and actually having a good time. Shahrukh was teaching Mango how to act. They burst out laughing and began talking again. Pepper couldn't hear what they were saying but they both looked happy.

 _Is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?_ Pepper thought curiously.

Vinnie jumped, turned, took two steps to the left, jumped and fell. That hurt a little bit, but he was too surprised to care. When he had jumped he saw Mango and Shahrukh talking. Then Shahrukh had begun to do a dance he had done in one of his movies. Vinnie had memorized all the steps. He watched Shahrukh dance. To be honest he was still a fan. After all, Shahrukh's dancing was _flawless_. Vinnie continued to watch as Shahrukh grabbed Mango's paws and heaved her onto her feet. She shook her head and tried to pull away, but Shahrukh said something to her and she stayed still. Vinnie felt a stab of jealousy. Mango had never danced with him. Probably because he had never had the courage to ask her. Shahrukh and Mango began to dance.

 _Is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?_ Vinnie thought confused.

Sunil waved his wand, ready to perform his trick. He stopped when he realized he could not find his stack of cards. He searched around until he saw them underneath his table. He bent down to reach them, then he stopped. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Shahrukh was _dancing_ with Mango. The way he moved was so smooth, so perfect. His grace was unlike anything Sunil had ever seen. Every step was in perfect rhythm with Mango. Sunil looked at Mango. He had never seen her so happy. Not even when she was looking at one of his magic tricks. She was having so much fun…with Shahrukh. Sunil growled. Why wouldn't she have fun? He was talented, rich, famous, good looking. Not some cowardly magician who couldn't even get a simple card trick to work.

 _Is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?_ Sunil thought furiously.

Blythe had just come down from the dumbwaiter. She had finished her homework and had decided to come and check on the pets. She had heard that Shahrukh had come for a vacation. Blythe decided that she better get there to solve any arguments the pets might have had with the visiting mongoose. Once she reached the day camp area her eyes nearly popped out of her huge head. All of the pets were staring at Shahrukh and Mango. They were dancing and laughing and having a wonderful time. Once the dance stopped they sat back down on the pillows, all worn out. Blythe didn't know what to think.

 _What the what?_ Blythe thought shocked.


	10. Chapter 10 : Rejected

Chapter 10 : Rejected

Mango was sitting down across from Shahrukh. She had just finished telling her story and Shahrukh had said that it would do. He had said it with a smile. A genuine, non-forced, smile. Mango smiled back and gave a little giggle of happiness. He was beginning to warm up to her, that was good. Now it was time to push the boundaries. Taking a deep breath she prepared to take a giant leap with the superstar.

"Now it is your turn to entertain me." She said with a smirk.

Shahrukh could not believe his ears. People did what he said, not the other way around. But then he thought about how much Mango had been listening to him so far. He glanced at her. She was smiling. Sighing, he realized that for whatever reason he could not say no.

He nodded. Without thinking he began to talk about himself. He did not talk about how many cars he had, or how much money he had, or anything about his superstar life. Instead, he talked about _himself_. Himself and his life. Shahrukh began on his first day of shooting. The very first time he had tasted the limelight…and hated it.

"It was the first time I had ever seen so many people in my life. They were _everywhere_. There was loud noises, flashing lights, and people stomping all around me. I was so scared." Shahrukh began with a far off look. He had never admitted this to anyone. Until now, he had not realized how hard that first day had been. He felt something soft on his paw. He looked down to see Mango's paw on his. She nodded.

He continued his story. "I had no idea what to do. I had been picked to play a small roll in a movie. All because I had entered and won a contest. It was not a big roll and I was definitely not a star at that time." He began to chuckle. "That first day on the job, I was _terrible_. I didn't know where to stand, what to do, or even what I was in the movie. A huge man kept yelling at me. I didn't know that he was the director back then. It scared me so much. All I wanted was to go back home, but for some reason I stayed. I think I stayed because I hoped that it would get better. I guess I hoped that it could somehow change my entire life. I guess it did."

Mango smiled as she listened to his story. He was telling her about himself. Even if he didn't know it yet, he trusted her.

"As you can tell, I got better. Once I started to improve my roles got bigger. Before I even knew it I was a star. People and pets began to worship me as if I was male version of Saraswati." He saw Mango's confused face. "The goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts. One day a pet came up and told me that I was their inspiration and then they asked me for an autograph. That was when I _truly_ realized how special I was. So I figured that someone this special deserved only the best. I began to get great wealth and expensive stuff. It was all very enjoyable." He paused. "If I don't act than how special am I? I am important because people think I am important. If something ever happened to my career, I would be a nobody. Like all of them." He gestured to the other pets around the room. "Like -"

Shahrukh stopped himself. He had been about to include Mango in his list of unimportant pets. He looked into her eyes and realized that she did not belong on that list at all. She was strong, the only one who refused to bend. But she was caring, the only one who decided to give him the time of day. She was also funny, smart, and even beautiful. He realized that she could never be a nobody… even if she wasn't a star. She was already a somebody to him. He felt something he never felt before. From how others described it he guessed what he was feeling and decided to act on it.

He jumped up and began to act for Mango. He knew that even if she didn't worship him, a special performance just for her would mean a lot. Shahrukh thought for a moment, then decided to make her laugh. He began to walk in place. Looking like he actually was walking but not getting anywhere. Then he pretended to trip and SMACK! Right into the floor. He had done this bit a hundred times and landed so that he didn't get hurt. Glancing up from the floor he saw Mango's face light up as she laughed. Shahrukh had never felt happier than he did just then.

He tried to think of something else he could do. Something to include Mango in. Then he had a brilliant idea. An acting lesson from someone like him was easily worth more than a thousand dollars, but he would give Mango one for free. He strode over to Mango confidently and took her paw. Standing her up he put her next to him and began acting out some scenarios. Nodding to Mango, he watched as she tried them out herself. She was mad, scared, happy, excited, sleepy, and much more. Once every face was done they both suddenly burst into laughter, just for the joy of laughing.

"That was great, you truly are a great actor Shahrukh." Mango said once the laughter had receded.

"Well, it is not just acting. Some of my movies are musicals and we have to do quite a bit of dancing." Shahrukh said while striking an important pose.

"Show me some?" Mango asked.

Shahrukh got up and began to dance gladly. He chose a dance from one of his first musicals. Swaying his hips back and forth while making shapes with his arms. He spun and jumped than began it again. Besides the money, dancing was one of the best parts of being an actor. Closing his eyes, he just let the rhythm of the dance consume him. Swaying back and forth, every step blending perfectly with the next. That was what it meant to be a dancer. Motion was your friend and rhythm was your family. Once the dance was done Shahrukh looked at Mango to see what she thought. She was ecstatic, clapping her paws together franticly. Shahrukh was surprised when Mango gave a small howl.

 _I did not know she was a wolf._ Shahrukh thought. Somehow, that just made her more interesting.

He reached down and grabbed Mango's paw. He tried to heave her up onto two legs so she could dance with him, but she began to pull away. She seemed very nervous and self conscious about dancing. Thinking, Shahrukh tried to find something comforting to say to her. Then he knew _exactly_ what needed to be said.

"I never would have thought the wolf who disobeyed me would be afraid of dancing."

Mango stopped struggling. She glanced at Shahrukh, who had a playful gleam in his eye. Finally she let herself be pulled up. Smiling, she nodded her head and Shahrukh began the dance. They both swayed back and forth, then sped up and danced faster and faster. Shahrukh did some of the moves he had done earlier and Mango copied. Both of them focused on nothing but the dance. It was glorious! But the whole time, two words kept forming in Mango's mind every time she touched Shahrukh's paw. The wolf…

The wolf. The wolf. The _wolf_.

 _He knows I'm a wolf and he doesn't care._ Mango thought with glee. Behind all the superstar glamour and glitz, he was a good pet. She just knew it.

Once the dance was over they both sat down, exhausted. Mango was painting heavily. She had never danced so hard before. Smiling she began to giggle, then to laugh, then to howl. Her howl was full of joy and life, ringing throughout the whole Pet Store. Once she stopped she looked at Shahrukh to see what he thought. He was smiling again.

Shahrukh was so tired, he had never danced harder. Not even when filming his newest movie 101 Times To Dance. He had been thrilled when Mango had accepted his challenge and danced with him. He had been worried for a second that she would say no. He almost felt like laughing and was about to until Mango began to. Then he just sat there and listened to her laugh. It was rich and lively. Smiling, he leaned his head on his arm and just enjoyed it. His head shot up however, once that laugh turned into a howl. This howl he enjoyed even more than the laugh. It was so expressive and joyous.

 _Mango really is one special pet._ He thought in a daze.

Mango was so happy. She had finally gotten to Shahrukh. He trusted her, but not only that, he _liked_ her. He was her friend because he wanted to be. Not because she had forced him to. That meant a lot to her. She couldn't believe that her friends didn't see what she saw. He was kind, spunky, caring, smart, talented, a little conceited at times, but that was what made him interesting. Sometimes he was also confusing, like right now. Mango got confused as she saw Shahrukh slowly lean forward. He was getting closer and closer, his face was almost touching hers when she realized what was going on.

 _Uh oh._ Mango thought. This could complicate things.

Shahrukh could not deny it, Mango was his closest friend, his _only_ friend actually. He cared about her deeply. But he had to be sure that she cared about him. So he did the only thing he could think of. He leaned in for a kiss.

 _I hope this doesn't end badly._ Shahrukh thought as he leaned forward.

Mango was beginning to panic. Shahrukh was almost there. She knew what she had to do, but she wasn't sure what was going to come of it. Sighing she placed her paw gently on his face… and pushed him away.

Shahrukh's eyes widened in surprise. Nobody had ever said no to a relationship with him before. He was curious to hear what Mango was going to say.

"Shahrukh, we are friends. I care about you deeply, and I hope you feel the same. I will always have your best interest in heart but… I don't think about you _that_ way. To me you are a close friend and I want you to stay that way. But…no." Mango said sternly. Shahrukh _had_ to receive this message.

She studied Shahrukh's face, wondering how he would react to being told no. Much to her relief, he smiled. He leaned forward again. This time for a hug. She hugged him back, holding him tight and not wanting to let go. She doubted he had ever shown anyone this much affection before. Closing her eyes, she let the warmth of the hug consume her.

She softly heard the words "Thank you." whispered in her ear.

"You're welcome." She murmured back.

Shahrukh hugged Mango right away, showing her how much she meant to him. He had been hoping she would say no. Everyone he had ever gotten close to had accepted him full heartedly, then left taking millions. No one had ever said no to becoming closer to him. But Mango felt that they were already close enough. She didn't care about millions, she cared about him. She cared enough to say no.

"Thank you." He whispered into her ear. He hoped none of the other pets were seeing this.

He hugged even tighter as she whispered back the words "You're welcome."

 _She rejected me. She actually rejected me._ Shahrukh thought as the hug ended.


	11. Chapter 11 : Forsaken

Chapter 11 : Forsaken

Sunil was walking around the day camp area. He was trying to find something to do. He did not feel like practicing his magic tricks, but everyone else already seemed busy. Sighing, he sat down on the Pet Shop floor and let his mind wander. He thought of all the events of yesterday, mostly the ones involving Mango and Shahrukh. He groaned as he remembered what had _almost_ happened. Shahrukh had tried to kiss Mango. Thankfully she had said no, but it still worried Sunil. If Shahrukh liked Mango he would stop at nothing to get her to like him back, because that was the kind of spoiled, self centered pet he was.

After the failed kissing of yesterday, Shahrukh and Mango had sat on the floor talking some more. But first they had shared a hug. A _long_ hug. Then Mango had been picked up by her owners to be taken home. Sunil smiled as he remembered how crushed Shahrukh had looked. Then Sunil frowned. It was not like him to take pleasure in other pets misery. Then again, Shahrukh was not like other pets. Still, it worried him. Angry pets often said or did things that they regretted. Plopping down on the floor, Sunil put him arm over his eyes and tried to banish all the thoughts swirling around in his head.

He peeked at the door when he heard the Pet Shop bells ring. Mango's owners Mr. and Mrs. King, had arrived to drop her off. He heard groaning and stretching from the other side of the room and looked to see Shahrukh waking up. He had slept on some pillows last night shortly after Mango had left. Cracking his back, Shahrukh walked over to the door to wait for the arriving pet. Sunil rolled his eyes. Like he cared. He was probably happy his _servant_ was back. Now he wouldn't have to fluff his pillows by himself or get his own food.

Sunil sat up and watched Mango go over to Shahrukh and begin talking with him. She looked confused for a moment, then smiled a knowing smile and walked off with him toward the pet food. Rolling his eyes once more, Sunil stomped off toward a corner of the Pet Shop. Muttering to himself, Sunil sat down and stared at the wall angrily. He heard noise behind him and looked to see Russell walking by while holding his little clipboard. Smiling, Sunil got up and walked over. It would be good to talk to a friend.

"Hello there Russell! It is most pleasant to see you." Sunil said when he was in front of Russell.

"Oh, hello Sunil. How are you doing?" Russell replied.

"Oh, just perfect. I was just over there watching the front door. Checking to see if we had any new visitors." Sunil answered nervously.

"Okay, do we?" Russell asked.

"Nope, just the same old visitors." Sunil said bitterly. "If you excuse me Russell, I must go now."

Sunil walked away quickly. He did not want to talk about how he was doing. He just needed some small conversation to distract him from how he was feeling. Sighing in relief, he saw Minka swinging on the tree. She would provide some distraction. He jogged over to her and began to wave his paws. Finally he got Minka's attention and she landed on the ground in front of him.

"Hiya Sunil! Whatcha doing?" Minka asked.

"Oh, just wanted to have a friendly chat with my dear monkey friend." Sunil answered.

"What about?" She asked loudly.

"Oh, um… how is your day going?" Sunil asked awkwardly.

"It's going just great! How about your day? Did you see anything interesting?" Minka asked while bouncing up and down.

"No, I absolutely did _not_. There is nothing of any importance going on that I can see." Sunil growled. He then turned around and began to stomp away from the pink monkey. She scratched her head in confusion, then went back to swinging on her branch.

 _Why can't I find someone who doesn't want to talk about Mango and Shahrukh?_ Sunil thought while he scanned the room. He then spotted Pepper and Zoe together by the toys. Grinning, he walked over to them and shouted to get their attention.

"Pepper, Zoe! I wish to speak with you!"

Pepper turned and saw Sunil coming. She took off her fake mustache and sat down. She wondered what Sunil could possibly want, but figured he must have a good reason to interrupt her comedy routine. Her tail let out a sweet smelling scent when Sunil arrived.

"What is it Sunil?" Pepper asked.

"Is that the smell of roses?" Sunil asked while sniffing the air.

"Yeah, maybe just a little. So what's up?" Pepper said again.

"I was just wondering if you knew how long a certain visitor has been here." He asked while trying to look uninterested.

"You mean Shahrukh? He has been here for two days now." Zoe answered. She began fluffing her ears while looking at herself in the mirror.

"When do you think that guy is going to leave anyway?" Pepper asked both of them.

Zoe merely shrugged and continued fixing her ears. Sunil's pupils got smaller however, and his voice sounded like he was trying not to shout. "How should I know? He might stay here for weeks, or months, or even YEARS!" Sunil's voice got louder and louder until he yelled out the final word. He then gave a large groan and walked away quickly.

Pepper and Zoe gave each other a worried look. _Something is up with Sunil._ Pepper thought as she placed her mustache back on her face.

Penny Ling saw Sunil walking by. She had been on her way to get a treat and wondered if Sunil might like to join her. Giggling, she trotted over to him. She realized that she had not talked to him all day, so she figured she could give him a big hug to apologize. Once she was almost at Sunil she spread her arms out wide. Then she grabbed onto him and gave him a huge panda bear hug. Once she was finished hugging him she looked at Sunil and asked him a question.

"Want to go get some snacks with me?" Penny Ling said with a big grin.

"Sure, that would be great." Sunil said with relief. He glanced over to the snacks and saw two pets already there. He frowned. "On second thought, I am not really hungry. Have fun Penny Ling."

"Oh, okay." Penny Ling said softly as Sunil walked away. She walked over to join Mango and Shahrukh at the snacks.

Mumbling to himself about the unfairness of it all, Sunil walked over to the slide and sat down. He did not feel like playing. He wished that Vinnie were there. Vinnie always seemed to be able to cheer him up. Almost as if his wish had been heard, Vinnie suddenly appeared barreling down the slide. He crashed into Sunil and sent them both rolling across the floor, finally slamming into the wall. Moaning, Sunil pried himself out from under Vinnie and looked at his friend. His face lit up with joy. If anyone could make him forget about his hostility toward Shahrukh and Mango, it was Vinnie.

"Sorry pal, new dance step. Didn't work." Vinnie said as he brushed himself off.

"No worries friend. I am just glad you are here." Sunil said with a grin.

"Yeah. I'm glad I'm here too." Vinnie continued to brush the dust off of him.

They stood there for a moment, just smiling at each other before Vinnie broke the silence. "So, Sunil want to go and get some Mangos?"

Sunil's eyes widened. Then he growled. It… was… too… much.

"NO! But even if I wanted to I couldn't get a _certain_ Mango because she is always hanging out with a superstar! Mangos have forsaken me! Abandoned me! Rejected me! So I believe I shall reject them! ALL OF THEM!" Sunil shouted out with great force. Once he was finished he turned and ran away from Vinnie and leapt into the fire hydrant to be alone.

Vinnie stood there shocked. He had known that something was bothering Sunil, but he hadn't known it was _this_ bad. He shook his head and tried to figure out what he could do to help his pal. But no thought came into his head. Groaning he fell face down into the ground. He might as have been trying to find a piece of hay in a needle stack, no ideas were coming. He worried though. He worried about the ideas that might be coming into Sunil's head inside of the fire hydrant.

 _Why can't I seem to help_ either _of my pals?_ Vinnie thought as he laid there, completely helpless to the situation.


	12. Chapter 12 : In The Fire Hydrant

Chapter 12 : In The Fire Hydrant

In the fire hydrant sat a sad, little blue mongoose. He was blue because one of his best friends had abandoned him for a slightly lighter, blue mongoose. The lighter mongoose was a famous actor and rich superstar. Sadly, the other mongoose was a regular, old, pet magician. One who wished that he had a trick to bring his friend back. But he didn't.

Sunil moaned. This was getting ridiculous! How could he lose his temper every time he thought of Mango? He was not an angry pet most of the time and he did not like being one now. But it never failed. Every time he thought of those two he ended up snapping at his other friends. Sometimes he fretted that he would get so angry he would say something he would regret later.

 _Maybe it is better if I just stay in here until Shahrukh leaves. But that won't be for another day._ Sunil thought as he crouched inside the fire hydrant.

Sticking his head out he checked to make sure no one was looking for him. They weren't. He stuck his head back inside, confused. Sunil didn't know if he should be relieved or upset that no one had bothered to come looking for him. Grimacing, he realized that he was leaning more toward the last reaction. Everyone seemed to be getting along just fine without him around. No one wanted David Copper _fail_ in the Pet Shop. Glaring at the wall of the fire hydrant, Sunil crossed his arms and got lost into his bitter thoughts. Suddenly he heard someone calling his name.

"Sunil? Sunil where are you?"

Laughing with relief, he sprung up to see who wanted him. It must have been Vinnie, his very best friend, come to cheer him up at last. He couldn't wait to see…suddenly he stopped. He could not believe what he was seeing. An orange pet stood in front of the fire hydrant, trying to see inside its black depths and find her friend. Sunil's grin turned into a frown. He did not want to see her. All of the sadness he had felt when she left came flooding back, then was multiplied and turned into pure anger.

Mango was walking away from the snack area, Shahrukh had decided that he wanted a meal and she took this opportunity to go and find her closest friend. She felt bad that she had been unable to see his magic trick. So she was trotting over to find him now. Because she had some free time she figured she could not only see his magic trick, but talk to him and learn about any new magic tricks he might be planning. She sighed, it would be nice to have some time with Sunil. She hadn't really been able to see him the past few days.

Turning around she noticed something blue going into the fire hydrant.

 _Sunil!_ Mango thought happily. She ran over to the fire hydrant and began to call his name. She couldn't wait to see him!

Sunil launched himself out of the fire hydrant, landing right in front of Mango. She looked surprised for a moment; then her smile returned. He almost felt like smiling too once he was in front of her. But then the bitterness took hold and all joy vanished. He felt hurt, betrayed, discarded like rubbish. He frowned at her and asked her bitterly, "What are you doing here?"

Mango's face turned to one of surprise, then confusion. She couldn't understand why he was so upset. Trying to smooth things over, she decided to keep up the light hearted act. "I wanted to see your magic trick. Shahrukh is eating and I thought we could hang out together."

Sunil snorted. "Oh, Shahrukh is eating. Nice to know you came because Shahrukh is _eating_."

"Why are you so upset?" Mango asked worriedly. It was unlike Sunil to be so harsh.

"Maybe I am upset because I am a last resort for you! Shahrukh this and Shahrukh that! The moment he is gone you come to me, but the moment he is back you leave all over again!" Sunil shouted.

"I am not here because I just needed someone to hang out with, I'm here because I _wanted_ to hang out with YOU!" Mango said sternly.

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe I do not like the idea of hanging out with you. Maybe I am tired of you. Kind of like Shahrukh is." Sunil said the last part with great relish.

Mango's ears began to fall. She did not like what was happening. She knew she would regret it but she asked anyway. "What do you mean?"

Sunil wasn't sure what he was going to say next. He wasn't even sure where he had been going when he said the part about Shahrukh getting tired of her. A small voice inside of him kept yelling for him to stop. For him to remember who he was yelling at. For him to remember why he cared in the first place. But an even louder voice yelled too. It yelled for him to show her how it felt to be ignored. Show her how it felt to have a friend leave. To show her exactly how much he didn't need her. Sunil followed the advice of the second voice and kept going.

"I mean that Shahrukh is only with you because the other pets are smart enough to have nothing to do with him. He is selfish and spoiled and just needed someone to do his bidding. You happened to be foolish enough to take the job." Sunil began.

"That is not true!" Mango retorted.

"He is getting bored of you now. Once he is he will throw you aside like rubbish. Did you think he cared about your stories, or your company, or your _friendship_?" Sunil sneered the last word. "He just needs someone to do as they are told!"

"Sunil, stop before you say something you will regret." Mango growled.

"Do you think any of it mattered? The acting, the dancing, the laughing? It was all a LIE! HE fooled you and now you are going to be abandoned. Just like I was when you chose that egotistical mongoose over me. You are nothing but a servant and he will NEVER be your friend! Why would he want to be friends with a vicious, blood thirsty, WOLF!" Sunil spat the last sentence into Mango's face.

Mango looked shaken, she looked sad, she looked angry. Then she looked FURIOUS! Now it was her turn! She stepped forward until she was face to face with Sunil. "You know what? Shahrukh has never _once_ ordered me about. He has not demanded and he has not complained! The only self centered, egotistical mongoose around here is _you_. I used to think that nothing could ruin our friendship. You were too _kind_ , too _caring_ , too important to me. But you proved me wrong! I'm glad you did because right now Shahrukh is TEN TIMES THE FRIEND YOU ARE!"

Mango stormed off in the other direction, leaving Sunil standing there glaring after her. Then his breathing slowed, he calmed down… and realized everything that he had just said.


	13. Chapter 13 : Fire

Chapter 13 : Fire

Sunil stood there, unable to speak or even move. He was reconsidering what had just happened. He flinched, remembering all the things he had said to one of his closest friends. He had insulted her, doubted her, and ridiculed her. His ears got lower and lower as each new word was added to the list. Finally he decided to find her and apologize, but before he could he heard a noise from behind him.

Turning around, he saw another blue mongoose coming his way. The mongoose did not look happy at all. His face looked completely, and utterly disgusted. He was murmuring to himself as he walked over to Sunil and waving his hands around as if he were exasperated.

 _Shahrukh._ Sunil thought. All the anger and hostility came back. He decided _not_ to apologize to Mango and a wave of stubbornness came over him.

He crossed his arms and stared at Shahrukh defiantly. He did not know what Shahrukh was doing here, but he guessed it was to boss him into getting something he wanted. Sighing, he waited until Shahrukh was in front of him, then he asked "What do you want Shahrukh?"

"I want to tell you what a fool you just were!" Shahrukh answered impatiently.

Sunil didn't know what to do or what to say. It was obvious that Shahrukh had been listening to everything that had just happened. Now he wanted to confront Sunil about it, but Sunil wasn't sure he wanted that to happen. It would show him what a horrible friend he had just been and he still wanted the delusion that he had done what he had to. So he put on a stern face and glared at Shahrukh. Letting him know that nothing he could say would change his mind. But secretly he was trembling inside, racked with guilt and shame.

Shahrukh thought back to what he had just heard. It was disgraceful how that magician of a mongoose had hurt Mango. He tried to remember exactly what had been said, it had been hard to listen through all of his anger. Silently he belittled himself for not going to them before the fight got worse but he had secretly wanted to see how far the mongoose would go. Not to see how much he could devastate Mango, but to see how much he _would_ devastate Mango. It was the perfect way to see how much he actually cared for her. He was not impressed.

He could have gone and helped. He could have stopped this. But he didn't. He had just hid behind one of the giant blocks found in the day camp area and watched. But he was not watching anymore. He swore that he was going to make this mongoose see the error of his ways, one way or another.

Sunil waited for a moment for Shahrukh to speak. When it became apparent that it was not going to happen he decided to be the first one to speak. He took a deep breath and asked Shahrukh, "What are you doing here?"

Shahrukh rolled his eyes and answered back. "I believe I already answered that question fool."

Sunil was deeply offended at being called a fool. He sucked in a deep breath in outrage and then tried again. "Well, why do you say that _I_ am a fool. I am not the one parading around in a place where nobody wants me."

Shahrukh laughed bitterly. "Actually that is not true, because neither am I. _Someone_ wants me here."

"Who? Mango? _Please_ , she is only helping you because she feels pity for you." Sunil laughed the thought away.

" _Mango_ , feel pity? That is not possible. She chose me because I am rich and famous and good looking. Everything her previous friend was not." Shahrukh smiled at him with one of his winning smiles, highlighting the point he made about his good looks.

Sunil growled under his breath. "That is not true! Mango would never befriend someone to get something from them. She doesn't care about money or power, she cares about what is inside them."

"Are you sure. I don't think that is true. She seems like a shallow, self-centered creature to me." Shahrukh was grinning even wider as he saw the hairs on Sunil's back stand on end.

"Take it BACK! She is not self-centered. Okay? She is kind and caring and intelligent and thoughtful and and and…" Sunil began to trail off.

On the outside Shahrukh was a picture of calm. Inwardly Shahrukh was panicking. _Say it! Say you love her you fool! Say she is the best thing that ever happened to you! Say SOMETHING!_

"And she is a great friend. One that should not be treated poorly." Sunil said at long last.

Shahrukh smacked his face with his paw. _Close enough… for now._

He then regained his composure and faced the magician; waiting for him to say anything else. Instead the magician gained a look of determination on his face and sped off. He did not say where or why, he just left. His eyes were steel and his resolve even harder. Before he disappeared completely he turned back and looked at Shahrukh. He seemed to be battling internally for a moment before he sighed and looked at him seriously. Shahrukh wasn't sure what was so important but he waited anyway.

Sunil gazed into Shahrukh's eyes and then asked a question he had been wondering since day one. "Do you care about her?"

Shahrukh was caught off guard. He had not expected this. He thought for a moment. Part of him wanted to say no, that she was a servant and nothing more. But the other part thought about her. He remembered the stories she had told him, the acting lessons he had given her in return, the dancing, and lastly… the rejected kiss. He trembled as he realized that a small part of him, had not wanted to be turned away. To kiss Mango, even just once, would have been incredible. He envisioned her, his and only his. To be with him in his mansion, telling him stories and blessing him with gentle kisses. Then he looked at the magician.

The magician was standing there, patiently waiting his response. His eyes were strong and had a fire within them. A fire that he did not yet understand. His stance was strong as well, determined to do whatever he had to do. He looked like this quest meant everything to him. Perhaps it did. Shahrukh gazed into the fire of the magician's eyes. That fire, he had seen it before. Seen it in the eyes of Mango as she had defended his good name. Defended it from Shahrukh. He sighed, he would never be the source of that fire. Even if she was beginning to be the source of his. Slowly, he nodded his head yes. The magician smiled, he seemed reassured, and then ran off. Leaving Shahrukh alone with his thoughts. He watched him as he left to go and save his friendship with Mango.

"Yes, I do care about her magician. More than you… or she… will ever know." Shahrukh whispered. _Good luck… Sunil._


	14. Chapter 14 : With You

Chapter 14 : With You

Sunil stood in front of all the others pets in the day camp. He was standing on a block so that he could look down on them. It gave him courage to say what needed to be done. Carefully, he scanned the faces of all the pets below him. Some were confused, others were excited, worried, bored, impatient, and upset. He sucked in a deep breath and prepared to let them know what had happened. "My friends… I come to you in a time of great need and utmost importance. Mango and I have had a falling out. It is mostly my fault… _all_ my fault. Now I need to fix things."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad. Just go and apologize." Russell said.

"No! I hurt her badly Russell and an apology won't cut it." Sunil replied.

"What about a gift? Like flowers or a wonderful new outfit?" Zoe suggested with a twirl. "I'm sure Blythe could help with that."

"Could help with what?" Blythe asked from the doorway.

"Russell was the first one to answer her. "We need to find a way to help Sunil and Mango make up. Sunil was a little mean to her." He shrugged is shoulders and glanced at Sunil.

Sunil was sputtering with outrage. "I was not a _little_ mean to her, I was _horribly_ mean to her! I called her names, said that Shahrukh was just using her, and told her that she would know what it felt like to be RUBBISH! I am a horrible pet, friend, mongoose-"

Sunil stopped when he felt something on his shoulder. He looked up into the caring face of Blythe. He had been so absorbed with degrading himself that he had not even realized that she had walked right up to him. He looked around at all his deeply caring friends. They looked at him with sympathy and understanding. Finally he couldn't take it anymore. The dam burst and all of his pain, anger, fear, and sorrow came out in a wave of tears. He cried and cried until he felt he could not cry anymore. The whole time his friends were right there with him. They stroked and shushed him, finally calming him down enough that he could speak again.

"Please everyone, I need to make it up to her. I need your help to do it." Sunil said to them once he had calmed down.

They all just nodded their heads solemnly. Even though no one said a word he knew what it meant. _We are with you._

Mango was crouched inside of a giant pile of toys. She did not want to be found right now. If anyone was looking for her she was pretty sure she did not want to see them. If Sunil was coming, she _definitely_ did not want to see him after everything he had just said. If Shahrukh was coming, she did not want to see him just _yet_. She worried that if he did come he would only confirm what Sunil had said to her. Mango sighed and cuddled her tail. That would mean that Sunil was right. She was a fool for trusting him. But if that was the case, she wanted to hang on to her and Shahrukh's friendship as long as she possibly could. If anyone else came they would come with sympathy and understanding. She laughed. Sympathy and understanding ran rampant here. If they got wind of what had happened they would be all over her trying to cheer her up. The last thing she wanted or needed was some pet trying to get her to see the bright side of this.

 _What bright side? I just lost my best friend. Maybe even my newest friend. Forever._

She shifted her body to get more comfortable in the toy pile. Grunting she pushed a squeaky lobster away from her side so she could relax.

 _Well, maybe not forever. But at least until he decides to mongoose up and apologize. Better be one heck of an apology. Either that or… until Shahrukh tells me that Sunil was right. Then_ I _better have one heck of an apology._

Mango sighed and peeked out of a hole in the toy pile. She saw nobody. Relieved she finally realized how tired she was. Figuring that she was in an extremely cozy pile of toys, she decided to get some sleep. Yawning she cuddled into an even tighter ball and prepared for a deep and relaxing sleep.

Sunil waved his paws around, directing everyone on what they needed to do. Everything needed to be perfect.

 _This is for Mango._


	15. Chapter 15 : Special

Chapter 15 : Special

Shahrukh walked around the day camp area. He wasn't sure what he should do. He couldn't go to Mango. She obviously wanted to be alone and he wasn't about to be the one to bother her. He couldn't go to the other pets either. They were still not entirely okay with him being there. Ironically the only one who seemed to accept him, other than Mango, was the magician. Sunil seemed to be perfectly fine with him being in the Pet Shop now that he knew that Shahrukh cared for the maned wolf. Shahrukh chuckled as he sat down on a pillow, hard. He might not be okay with Shahrukh if he knew what Shahrukh was considering.

Shahrukh stared at his paws. He could not believe that he was actually thinking what he was thinking. He was Shahrukh, the superstar mongoose. He was somebody special, somebody important, somebody who knew what he needed to do. He clenched his paws into fists. Shutting his eyes and breathing in and out as he tried to figure out how to go about his plan. Inside he was terrified, this was so new to him. So strange, so foreign, and yet so wonderful. He began to smile despite his intense fear. Opening his bright green eyes he looked around at the Pet Shop. Everything seemed so wonderful and new.

Laughing with glee he jumped up and accepted his fate. If he was to go down in flames he would go down knowing that he had given it his best shot. He quickly got everything ready. He knew that if he was going to do this he would need to do it now before the moment was gone or before his nerves failed him. Finally he had everything absolutely perfect. Looking at his handy work one more time he nodded and went off in search of her.

Mango was walking along the day camp area. She was ready to put things past them and try to work things out with Sunil. Her tail dragged and her ears drooped as she searched for him. Just because she was ready did not mean that she was excited about it. Her mind whirled with mixed feelings of guilt and worry. She did not know who was the making the mistake here. Sunil or her? But she was prepared to apologize even if he was the one who started it. She now realized that he was only worried about her. He had been there the first time Shahrukh had come to the day camp and probably knew more about him. Sunil only wanted to make sure that Shahrukh was treating her properly, but his emotions had gotten in the way and caused him to say those things.

 _Sunil has never really been good at dealing with anger. It is so new to him that he must have figured that it came with yelling and name calling. He didn't know how to tone it down, and I should have told him so instead of yelling back._ Mango continued walking along the day camp area, but she couldn't find Sunil… or anyone else.

Sunil watched as the others got into their stations. Everything was almost perfect. He just needed to go and find Mango. He turned around to go off in search for her; then looked back one more time. Everything was looking good. He glanced around the room and tried to locate Mango, but it was difficult.

 _Where is my orange, furry friend Mango?_ Sunil thought with great concern. He did not want her to be mad at him for long. The longer she was, the harder it would be for him to apologize.

Shahrukh looked around for Mango. He did not see her in the fire hydrant. It was strange. He was sure that the fire hydrant would be the first place Mango would go. It was the first place any pet would go when they were upset. Then it hit Shahrukh like a bolt of lightning.

 _Of course Mango would not be here! She wants to be left alone, not in a place where everybody would know where to find her. Now I must find her._

Shahrukh stuck his head into the fire hydrant one last time, making sure he did not miss her or anything to tell him where she was. He found nothing and left it alone. Instead he walked around the room in a search for Mango.

Mango bristled, this was getting ridiculous. She could not find anyone anywhere! She looked all over the place and not a single pet had shown up. Just as she was beginning to rethink apologizing she heard a rustle behind her. She turned to see Sunil standing there looking at her. She sighed in relief, finally after all the searching _he_ had found _her_.

She began to walk up to him but he held out a paw and stopped her. Looking at him confused, Mango decided to start apologizing. "Sunil I-"

She was again stopped. This time with a paw over her mouth. Bristling with anger she pulled her head back and prepared to yell at Sunil instead of apologizing, but what he said next startled her into silence.

"Mango, I am deeply sorry for what I said and I know that you may never want to be my friend again, but I need to let you know that I care about you. A lot." Sunil's eyes shone golden with unshed tears. He gazed into Mango's very soul as he spoke and she could feel the genuine care in every single word.

"Sunil, I'm sorry too. I'm just glad that we are friends again." Mango was about to cry herself, out of pure joy. This was going better than she ever expected. She was about to howl a great howl of triumph when Sunil said something that shocked her even more.

"Mango, I love you."

Shahrukh was about to give up searching for Mango when he suddenly saw her. His heart skipped a beat with joy as he raced over to greet her. He could not wait for her to see his big surprise! It was going to render her speechless.

Mango was speechless. She didn't know what to do, what to think, what to say. He had told her that he loved her. He loved her. He _loved_ her! She felt like the floor was disappearing from underneath her feet. Her heart rate tripled. He breathing increased. She was grasped by a deep fear.

 _No, no, no. NO! This isn't right. He is my best friend. He can't love me. This changes everything! Not love… anything but love._

This was so new to her, so strange. She wished this was all just a dream. How was she supposed to tell him that she was not ready. That she didn't know how to take all this. She cared for him deeply, but love was a big step. What if he got bored of her? What if it was all a cruel prank? What if… what if… what if she wasn't good enough? She looked at him. His soft blue fur, his emotional golden eyes. She could get lost forever in those beautiful golden eyes. He was so amazing and magical, he deserved better than her. She was about to let him know so when the whole world began to shake. His image fuzzed and he disappeared.

"Sunil!" Mango yelled out in a panic.

Then everything went black.

Mango looked up into the smiling face of Shahrukh. He was gently shaking her out of her delicate slumber. She shook her head to clear away the fading memories of her dream. Her fur bristled at the mere thought of it.

 _He told me he loved me. He told me he_ loved _me! That was horrible. It changed everything._ Mango thought with a shiver. She then remembered that Shahrukh was right in front of her. Not wanting him to ask her what was wrong she plastered a smile on her face.

Unfortunately it didn't work and Shahrukh inquired about what was bothering her anyway. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Mango was touched that he seemed genuinely concerned about her and did not want him to worry so she answered with false cheerfulness. "Sure, everything is great."

"I overheard Sunil talking to you." Shahrukh began awkwardly.

"Oh, you did? Was it really that loud?" Mango asked, her ears drooping.

"Well, I happened to be standing close by. Anyway I figured you could use something to life your spirits and I wanted to thank you." He said with a smile.

"Thank me for what?" Mango asked while cocking her head to the side.

"I'll tell you once I show you the surprise." Shahrukh said as he grabbed her paw and led her away into a corner of the day camp area. He tried as hard as he could to not blush as he showed her what he had worked so hard on. It was a tiny little table made from a pet food box. Covering it was an old blanket he had found in the toy box, and laid onto of the blanket was the fanciest canned pet food he could find. He planned on paying for it later. There was also two tiny glasses filled with the cleanest water he could find in all of Littlest Pet Shop. He had even placed a small vase and filled it with a single bright yellow flower, the color of Mango's eyes.

He grinned as he saw the look of wonder cross Mango's face as she stared at what he had created for her and her alone. He had never worked so hard on anything in all of his life, and never before had he created something that was not for him. She walked over to the table and sat down. Then she began to laugh gleefully. His heart felt like it would burst from the sound of her sweet melodious laugh. He quickly realized that he was staring and hustled over to the table to sit down. Once he had sat down he prepared himself for his speech.

"Mango, I made this dinner to thank you. I wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me. Before I met you I cared for no one but myself. I was selfish, cruel, and egotistical. Then you came and showed me friendship. You showed me what I was missing in my life." Shahrukh began. He saw her eyes soften.

"Thank you Shahrukh. This means a lot to me. I wasn't sure if you felt that my friendship was worth anything. Now I know you do." Mango replied with a smile.

"Not your friendship Mango. _You._ You make me feel happier then I ever have before. When I am around you, I don't care if I am famous or not. All I want is to be your friend forever. I thought that you had to be famous in order to be important. A superstar. But to you it doesn't matter how rich I am, it matters _who_ I am. I want to be a better mongoose because of you. You are brave, smart, loyal, funny, intelligent, caring. You are somebody and always will be somebody to me. You are special. I promise I will never hurt you." So far the speech was going good. He had noticed a drastic change in Mango's demeanor since he had started speaking. At first she had been more happy than interested, now she sat there staring at him. Her eyes showed that she was listening to every single word. He was nearing the end of his speech and hoped she would like it.

 _"_ Mango, I am no chicken. I know that the Mangos won't fall because I want them to. Only the Mangos can choose what they will do. But I do hope that someday they will fall for me. Just as I have fallen for them." Shahrukh raised his glass. "To my best friend. May our friendship last forever."

They then clinked their glasses and began to eat. Mango's eyes shone with light as she looked at Shahrukh. He had remembered her story, the one she had told him, the one that had caused him to open up to her and start this beautiful friendship. _He does care._ She thought as she ate the food. It was warm and moist, not like the dry food, and tasted of chicken.

Shahrukh grinned as he ate the food. He had not come right out and said that he liked her. _Liked_ liked her. He had the sneaking suspicion that if she didn't like him back it could ruin their whole friendship. Telling her right out would have done nothing but freak her out, cause a stubborn streak, and make her determined _not_ to like him back. He grinned, that was just Mango. Willful as ever in everything that she did. By not telling her he was giving her the chance to figure it out for herself, and even if she didn't at least he had told her how special she was to him. That she would always know and always treasure. Shahrukh glanced at Mango over his food. He then remembered the magician and that he was planning something as well.

 _I wonder how this story will turn out._ Shahrukh thought.

Sunil finally found Mango in a secluded part of the day camp area. He noticed that she and Shahrukh had just finished eating some kind of dinner. It looked almost like a date. He hoped that it wasn't. Hoped with every fiber of his being. His little surprise would look like a flickering candle compared to whatever roaring flame Shahrukh could make. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and walked over to the table. Glancing at Shahrukh he raised his eyebrows in question. Much to his relief Shahrukh shook his head no ever so slightly. This was just a dinner between friends, a way to say thank you.

"So, Mango, I wanted to show you something." Sunil began as he looked at her. He saw many emotions reflected in her eyes. Anger, happiness, and pain. He felt absolutely terrible for causing such conflicting emotions in his friend. Filled with a newfound determination to fix the relationship between them he raised his head and began in a stronger voice.

"Mango, I wanted to apologize for all the horrible things I said to you. I never meant to harm you in any way, well, I did. I can't lie… I am a horrible liar as you already know. But I shouldn't have hurt you. It was wrong and if you come with me now I will try to make it up to you." He finished and looked to Mango to see her reaction. She seemed interested.

Mango was surprised when Sunil first showed up. She hadn't expected _him_ to be the one to apologize. After dinner she had been planning to go to him and patch things up. She had realized that Sunil's friendship wasn't something she was prepared to just give up on. It was too precious and special to her. The fact that he was coming to _her_ to apologize only confirmed it. He now began this long speech to her about how sorry he was for hurting her.

She stared into his eyes, trying to find out whether this apology was sincere or not. It was as sincere as they come. Once he had finished talking she stood up in front of him and nodded. She wanted to know how much she meant to him… and she was pretty curious about what he had did.

Sunil had to stop from jumping into the ceiling with pure joy. She had agreed to coming with him. This was almost too perfect. He giggled as he led her away into a small door that led to the closet of the day camp area. It was remarkably roomy in there and had been the perfect place to put together his surprise. She was unable to see anything that went on it there and everyone had been able to fit. He looked back to make sure that Mango was still following him. She was. She was looking side to side in the closet. Trying in vain to get a glimpse of what he had done for her. He chuckled even louder. He had known that if he did not say what he had done her curiosity would get the better of her, also he was not sure if he could sum up in words what he had done. It was better just to experience it.

He sat down in the middle of the area they had cleared away for the surprise. Mango sat on one side of him and Blythe on the other. She had made the costumes and was now able to sit and relax. She had done a wonderful job and Sunil couldn't wait for Mango to see them.

He clapped his paws together and the show began.


	16. Chapter 16 : Show You What You Mean To M

Chapter 16 : Show You What You Mean To Me

A single spot light shined in front of them. It showed Zoe draped in a beautiful indigo gown. It flowed when she moved and was studded in lavender gems, fake of course, but no less beautiful. She was wearing lavender gloves as well. Simple, yet elegant. Her usual black hat was replaced with a curly hairstyle piled onto of her head. Small lavender gems were intertwined in the curls. The only non purple item she had on was a bright yellow flower with an orange middle. She cleared her throat and began to sing the song Sunil had written. It wasn't very often that she sang something not written by herself, but she had felt that this one just _had_ to be sung.

Best Day Of My Life (American Authors)

I'm a coward not well in crowds

I scream so high no sound comes out

Mango-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

I'll never forget when you first met I

And I know I'll never try

Mango-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Another spotlight appeared to Zoe's right. It showed Penny Ling, draped in a light green kimono decorated with golden spirals. On top of her head was a bright yellow flower with an orange middle. She waved and danced with a long dark green ribbon. Her dance was timid at first, then grew more powerful as the song progressed. It was not hard to see… she was dancing the story of them.

I can never show

Mango

But I can sure try

Mango

What you mean to me

Woah oh oh

Show you what you mean to me

My frie-e-e-e-end

Woah oh oh

Mango you set me free

My frie-e-e-e-end

A third spotlight appeared showing Vinnie dancing on Zoe's left. He was wearing a bright red suit with a single white glove. His bow tie was white as well and he had a red top hat with a white stripe. But on the right side of his suit was a single yellow flower with an orange middle. He had never danced so hard in all of his life. All of his soul went into the dance he had made especially for Mango. His feet flew in tap dancing, then switched to breakdance moves, then spins. It was as unique a dance as she was. Nothing, yet everything at the same time.

You-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Your howl sets my head in a spin

A part of you I would not mend

Mango-o-o-o-o

You're one of the best things to happen to me

There is nothing I wouldn't decree

For you-u-u-u-u-u-u

You're too good for me

Mango

I don't know what you see

Mango

But I'm glad you do

Yet again another spot light, behind them off to the left so they were visible behind Vinnie, was Pepper. She was dressed in a white dress with polka dots, every color imaginable was on it. It had ruffles on the bottom that bounced when she moved and blue buttons going down the front. On top of her head was a small little party hat that matched her dress. In her hand was a squirt flower. A yellow squirt flower with an orange middle. It sprinkled water everywhere as she twirled to the music. She looked just like a water show.

Mango-o-o-o-o

I can't imagine life without you

You-u-u-u-u-u-u-u

Mango-o-o-o-o-o

And I don't want to

I need you-u-u-u-u-u-u-u

Mango-o-o-o-o

As if by magic, another spotlight revealed Minka, far back to Zoe's right behind Penny Ling. She had on an artist smock bedazzled with red, blue, and yellow gems. It was also decorated with what looked like splotches of red, blue, and yellow paint as well. On her artist beret was a single yellow flower with an orange middle. She had multiple paint cans around her and a giant canvas behind her. She grabbed the orange paint bucket and began to paint. It was big and colorful, composed of orange, blue, green, gray, pink, purple, dark purple, light brown, and dark brown.

I never want to lose you

I hope this is special to you

My soul went into this song

so-o-ong

Your eyes seem to ignite

Your fur shines in the light

You should have been told

to-o-old

Mango-o-o-o-o

Lastly, a final spotlight appeared in the very back behind Zoe. Mango could barely see him until he jumped into the air and began to spin. It was Russell, bouncing around and spinning as a ball. A trick he knew Mango adored. He uncurled for a moment so she could see what he was wearing. It was a bright blue tux with a black glove and a black bow tie. On top of his head was a blue top hat with a black stripe that spun on his back when he curled up into a ball. On the right side of his suit was yet again, a yellow flower with an orange middle.

You-u-u-u-u-u

I want to show you what you mean to me

Everythi-i-i-ing

Sta-a-a-ars

More than you could ever see

Mo-o-o-o-o-o-on

I don't know how to make you see make you see make you see

how much you mean to me

More than my magic hat

More than this or that

Mango-o-o-o-o

Mango felt a tap on her shoulder and saw Blythe standing behind her. She was holding something. When she bent down Mango was able to get a closer look. It was a beautiful tie dyed dress. It was swirled with all the colors of the rainbow, matched together perfectly. It had a golden bow in the middle and was short so she could move freely. Ruffles lined the entire bottom half, making it look like it bounced whenever it moved. She breathed in the scent of Mangos. Blythe had scented the dress. She felt tears come to her eyes. She loved it, she loved them all so much. Gently, Mango held the dress and turned back to the show, it was about to end soon and she wanted to watch every second of it.

You make every day the best I've ever had

I'm so gla-a-a-a-a-ad

With that the song ended and Mango was speechless. She wiped away the tears that she felt crawling down her face as she smiled. Never before in her life had she been so happy. Everyone had stopped performing and was smiling at her. They all looked amazing. Cheerfully, Mango put on the dress she had been given and looked back to them. Minka's painting was complete, it showed nine splotches of color on a canvas. Eight of them surrounded one bright orange spot. The others spots looked as if they were hugging the orange one. It was them.

Mango began to laugh with joy when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see what it was and stopped laughing. Sunil was now standing, only now he was dressed in a bright yellow tux with a single orange glove and an orange bow tie. His hat was yellow with an orange stripe and he had a yellow flower with an orange middle in his tux too. He held a similar flower out to her and grinned that big smile of his when she accepted it. Mango held the flower and stared at him. He looked… different. Maybe it was the fact that he was so confident right now, maybe it was the tux, but he looked brighter. His eyes shined gold and Mango got lost into them for a moment before she was able to snap herself back. He began to talk.

Sunil watched the show progress. It was going splendid. Mango's face seemed to shine brighter with every new addition to the show. Every time a spotlight shined Sunil felt a tingle of joy. Everyone was doing their job amazingly and Blythe had the dress all ready. He glanced at Mango and saw her eyes shine brighter than the flowers the others were holding. He knew he had made a good choice when he chose ones the color of her eyes. Her eyes were one of his favorite physical features about her. They were always so emotional, shining in the light and glowing in the dark. He chuckled as he remembered one time when that had scared him, now it comforted him. Knowing that he could always find her by following her yellow eyes.

He found that he could not stop watching her as she looked at the show. He wanted desperately to know what she actually was thinking. Did she like it? He hoped she did. Everything he had always wanted to say had went into the song Zoe was singing. It had not been that hard to write. He had known right away what he should tell her. Sunil sighed as he looked at his friend. He never wanted to lose her. He wanted to keep being her friend forever.

Mango was presented with the dress. She looked so touched and happy. Sunil's heart thought it would burst. _It will look even more splendid once she puts it on. She really is quite a sight. So beautiful, with her orange fur and bright yellow eyes. I wonder what it would be like to stroke that soft fur and stare into those bright eyes. Dancing with her across the floor as Shahrukh did._ Suddenly Sunil jerked out of his thoughts. He had daydreamed about his friend Mango. Those were not the kinds of things you thought about one of your best friends. Shaking his head he tried to concentrate on the show, but his thoughts kept coming back to sharing a dance with Mango.

Once the show was nearing its end Sunil put on the special tux Blythe had made him. He was sure he did not look that great but he hoped Mango wouldn't mind too much. _As far as mongooses go, I'm not the best looking._ Sunil thought as he took out the special flower he had picked for Mango.

He tapped her on the shoulder. His breath caught when she looked at him. She looked absolutely amazing. Her eyes sparkled in the light and the mix of colors on her dress blending together perfectly. He got lost in those bright yellow eyes for a moment, then snapped himself back, hoping she had not noticed. Clearing his throat, he handed her the flower and began to talk.

"Mango, everyone here has used their talents to make you a wonderful show and now it is my turn. I hope you enjoyed the song. It was written especially for you. I also hope you enjoy this trick." Sunil pulled out the deck of cards he had been holding when he had tried to show Mango his new trick. He pulled out a nine of spades.

"There are nine of us here in this room, eight of whom are pets." He shuffled the deck, then pulled the top card. An eight of clubs.

"Out of this eight there are three really close friends." A three of diamonds appeared where the eight of clubs used to be once Sunil snapped his fingers. "You two are like diamonds to me, unique and valuable."

"Out of that three there are you and me." The card was thrown into the air, but the card that came down was now a two of hearts. Sunil blushed a little at that. He had run out of other types of cards. "Ignore the hearts and let us continue."

Mango just giggled and continued watching the trick.

"I never want to lose you. Without you I would be a fool." He placed three cards face down in front of Mango. He flipped one and showed the joker. "I may not be a king." The second one was a king of diamonds. "But you are definitely a queen." The last card was flipped to reveal a picture of Mango wearing a fancy crown.

Mango gasped as she stared at the picture. It was amazing. She had not even worn a crown like that before. She looked at Sunil questionably, as if asking how he had done this. He only shook his head and pointed to the card again. Mango glanced at it. When Sunil waved his hand over it the card was gone. Replaced with a picture of Sunil and Mango smiling together. A picture taken the day they had first met. Her eyes got misty as she picked up the picture. Laughing, she grabbed Sunil and hugged him tightly. She never wanted to let go.

She felt even happier when she felt Sunil hugging her back.

Sunil was shocked. Mango was hugging him with such great force. Tentatively he put his paw on her fur. It was soft. Then, a little more confidently this time, he pulled her closer to him. Her fur was as warm as he had imagined and she smelled of Mangos. He never wanted to let go. He closed his eyes and breathed in her sweet scent. _I am never fighting with her again._ Sunil thought as he released all of the pain and sorrow he had felt in the past few days. She took it all away.

Shahrukh closed the closet door gently. He had been hiding behind it, watching the entire show from start to finish. It had been amazing. The magician had really pulled through. He had been able to see the cards clearly from where he stood and he could not figure out how the magician had done it all. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. _He won._

Shahrukh turned away but glanced back one more time. They were hugging. He saw the doubt and fear in the magician's eyes before he returned the hug. Shahrukh smiled at this. Even at that magical moment he did not know his true feelings for her. Chuckling, Shahrukh left. It was a good thing that the magician won. He deserved Mango, he just didn't know it yet.


	17. Chapter 17 : Romance Films

Chapter 17 : Romance Films

Everyone was filing out of the closet, excited and overjoyed at how the show had went. They were chattering amongst themselves. Talking about how glad they were that Mango and Sunil were no longer fighting. Vinnie got out of the closet last, smiling in silence as he watched Mango and Sunil walk away talking to one another. Everything had been forgiven. He smiled as he watched his two best buddies. It made him happy to see them happy. Suddenly he heard a cough from behind him. Turning around, he saw Shahrukh leaning against the wall next to the closet door. Vinnie scoffed and scowled at Shahrukh. No matter what Mango said he still didn't trust that guy. It took all of his energy not to geek out at the fact that he was standing right next to him though. He might be a jerk but he still was the best pet superstar in the world.

Shahrukh walked over to Vinnie with a look of genuine concern. He placed a paw on the gecko's shoulder. "You are worried." It was not a question, it was a statement. Vinnie was troubled and Shahrukh knew it.

Dumbfounded, Vinnie stared at Shahrukh with his mouth open. How could Shahrukh possibly know that? Unless he knew his secret. The secret that he guarded closer than anything else in the world. His totally embarrassing, friendship destroying secret. "What do you mean? I'm happy that Mango and Sunil are speaking again."

"That is partly true, but you are also upset about it." Shahrukh answered back quietly.

"What? They are my best friends! I would never want them to be unhappy!" Vinnie yelled back.

Shahrukh raised one eyebrow. "I saw your face when they hugged gecko. You feel threatened by your best friend. You want the girl, so does he. The only question is, what are you willing to do to get her?"

"I _do not_ want Mango. I don't care if Sunil likes her." Vinnie's voice quivered and Shahrukh noticed it.

Shahrukh sighed. He really wanted to help, but Vinnie needed to admit that he liked Mango for him to do it. "I have done many romance films. There are always two friends who love the same girl. There will be troubles and pain, but also great happiness in the end. The only question is for who? For the girl will choose. No matter what you say or do, it is always the girl who will choose. She shows signs of choosing already, but I do not want to discourage you. She has not admitted it or even realized it yet either. So you may still have a chance." Shahrukh turned away and began walking. He stopped and looked at Vinnie over his shoulder. "Why do you like her?"

"Because, um… I just do." Vinnie stammered.

"Not good enough." Shahrukh continued to walk.

"Wait! I like her because she is smart, and brave, and clever, and caring, and awesome, and… and I love her." Vinnie winced as he listed of the first words to come to his head. "Is that good enough?"

Shahrukh looked at him with a hard gaze. "We shall see."


	18. Chapter 18: I Suppose That Will Do

Chapter 18: I Suppose That Will Do

The next day was the day Shahrukh needed to leave. Everyone was lined up to say good bye. Russell had said they needed to in order to be polite, but no one besides Mango really wanted to be there. Blythe was there as well. She figured that she should say good bye to Mango's newest friend. She had never spent much time with Shahrukh and wanted to leave a good impression with the mongoose.

"Goodbye Shahrukh."

"Yeah, take care."

"See ya."

"Visit again sometime."

"But call first!"

A chorus of goodbyes rang out from the group of pets. Out of them all, Sunil's seemed the most heartfelt. He really wanted Shahrukh to call first. Shahrukh laughed a little at the range of goodbyes from sincere, to polite, to get out. They were all mixed in with each other. Then he stopped laughing as an orange shape appeared out of the group of pets. Mango walked to him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. He hated to see her so unhappy.

"Those tears of joy?" He asked with a giggle, trying to get her to laugh.

It worked and Mango let out a small chuckle. She was still holding back the tears as she hugged Shahrukh goodbye. Shahrukh couldn't take it anymore and began having to hold back tears as well. He held her tightly as a wave of emotions crashed over him. She was the first real friend he had ever had. He had never wanted any before. She had cared for him, accepted him, and stood by him throughout his entire visit. As the hug ended he smiled at her.

"I suppose that will do."

Mango smiled. He had said that with a smile too.

Shahrukh turned and left the Pet Shop a smarter, kinder mongoose. He was ready to start taking control of his life. A pet superstar. But he would be back. He swore that he would be back to see the wolf that had changed his life. He would be back for Mango. He could not wait to see how this romance film turned out.

The pets inside the pet shop all looked to Mango and smiled sadly. They were happy he was gone, but did not know how Mango would take it. To their surprise she let out a howl of joy and triumph. She had did it! She had helped Shahrukh and made a new friend in the process. Once she was done she turned to her friends and smiled brightly. Suddenly everyone started to laugh, even Blythe who began to roll on the floor. The pets all tackled her and began to roll as well. When they were finished Sunil got up and brushed himself off.

He pulled his magician hat out from behind him and said to the pets. "Who wants to see my latest trick?"

Mango and Vinnie immediately raised their hands.

Sunil smiled. "I knew you two would."

 **The End (maybe)**


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